After claiming his first 212 Olympia win in 2021, bodybuilder Derek Lunsford’s next goal is obvious: defend his crown in 2022 when the Olympia returns to Las Vegas, NV, from Dec. 16-18, 2022. While Lunsford’s off-season prep is full of the requisite gym trips, building his award-winning physique requires just as much time in the kitchen.
Lunsford’s off-season diet consists of six meals a day with an eye toward protein- and carb-rich foods that fuel his lengthy workouts. On Aug. 23, 2022, Lunsford pulled back the curtain on what a full day of eating looks like in a video on his YouTube channel. Check it out below:
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Meal One
- Seven ounces of Sirloin Steak
- Eight ounces of cooked white rice
- Half a scoop of Evogen Lipocide (metabolic enhancer) and two scoops of Evogen Carnigen (fat-burning powder) in water
Lunsford says he usually performs fasted cardio before breakfast, but after waking up late that morning, he opted to eat breakfast and take his supplements first. This meal clocked at roughly 50 grams of protein and 65 grams of carbohydrates. During this first meal, he also took an array of supplements:
Morning Supplements
- Probiotic (30 Billion CFU)
- Evogen Evolog
- Evogen Evovite Multivitamin
- Evogen Evozyme
- Vitamin D3 (10,000 IU)
- Himalaya LiverCare
- N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)
- Baby Aspirin
- Omega 3
Evogen is one of Lunsford’s sponsors, and he included their products throughout his day. In addition to the clean diet, cardio, and vitamins, Lunsford mentioned that he gets routine bloodwork done to check in on his overall health.
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Meal Two
- Eight ounces of cod
- Seven ounces of white rice
- One travel cup of Wholly Avocado
This next meal is similar to the first in its focus on protein and carbs, but it’s far easier for the 212 champ to digest than his breakfast.
“I like this meal because it’s refreshing, but mostly it’s super light on the stomach,” Lunsford says. “[So] when I eat this, I tend to digest it super quick, much faster than the steak and rice that I had for meal one.”
Lunsford is still in his off-season diet, so he’s not concerned by the 11 grams of fat in the Wholly Avocado cup. Plus, the carbs and fats here support his current heavy training. Since the 212 champ isn’t eating as many vegetables as usual during this training phase, he drinks green food powders and takes additional vitamins.
Meal Three (Pre-Workout)
- Seven ounces of cooked chicken
- Six ounces of cooked white rice
- Nine grams of coconut oil
Lunsford opted to eat this next meal before heading to the gym to meet bodybuilder Ryan Crowley for a workout. The carbs and calories were designed to help him push through a heavy chest day.
To add flavor to his food, Lunsford took advantage of healthy fats like avocados, almonds, and coconut oil rather than traditional sauces with high fat or sugar content. This adds calories to his meals, but it’s factored into his off-season plan. His other secret is Lawry’s Seasoned Salt — a zero-calorie seasoning that he puts on virtually everything throughout the video.
Meal Four (Post-Workout)
- Two scoops of IsoJect protein powder
After Crowley and Lunsford hit their chest and ab workout, Lunsford drank a shake totaling 50 grams of protein. Since this was a carb-free meal, Lunsford put two scoops of GlycoJect (another Evogen product) in his intra-workout cocktail for 50 grams of added carbs.
Meal Five
- Seven ounces of cooked cod
- Eight ounces of white rice
This protein- and carb-rich meal took advantage of Lunsford’s post-workout metabolism without slowing it down with additional fats.
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[Related: 212 Olympia Champ Derek Lunsford Explains When to Scale Back Your Workouts]
Meal Six
- Seven ounces of cooked salmon
- Eight ounces of white rice
- Mango salsa (to taste)
For his sixth and final meal, Lunsford crushed another fish dish consisting of salmon, white rice, and mango salsa. The additional fats in the salmon help slow down his digestion — a preferable option as the last meal before bed.
Lunsford stressed that his meals are nothing special, saying, “I don’t think the meals that you eat for bodybuilding really have to be all that genius.” He focuses on clean food that is easy to digest and helps improve training. Fans will see how this diet helps Lunsford’s overall package when the 2022 Olympia comes to Las Vegas on Dec. 16-18, 2022.
Featured image: @dereklunsford_ on Instagram
